Demon Detective: The Stolen Orbs
by Fyreneko
Summary: One day, Tokyo Demon decided to be a detective! Wow. After long hours of waiting, he gets a job from a frantic mysterious caller...will he be able to solve the case? R&R!
1. His first job

Demon Detective: The Stolen Orbs  
  
By: dead_phoenix  
  
Part One  
  
I sat in my makeshift office one Saturday evening, my hat and coat on the stand near the door. I rested in my favorite brown rolling chair behind my brown desk waiting for my brown phone to ring as a brown ceiling fan rotated slowly overhead. A paper sign taped to the outside of my door read "Tokyo Demon: Private Detective." I was fairly new at this business, having asked my owner only two days ago if I could get a job. However, I already new a lot about crimes and I knew about the things you could expect in the downtown Neopia district. This morning I had posted flyers in choice locations stating that I was an investigator for hire. And so, here I sat in my bedroom-made-office waiting for a job. My owner, Dead Phoenix came into my room with a tray full of dinner, which she placed on my desk. She told me not to worry and that I'd get a customer sooner or later, and then left. I grabbed the peanut butter sandwich she left me and stared up at the ceiling, watching the slowly turning fan blades go around and around in endless cycles. Watching Turmaculus sleep would be more fun than this.  
  
Suddenly, almost miraculously, the phone rang. Startled out of my boredom, I picked it up with one of my pristine white paws and answered.  
  
"Uh..Hello?" I said nervously into the phone.  
  
A gruff, aged voice answered, "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number. I was looking for a detective by the name of Tokyo_Demon.." He sounded a bit stressed out.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, that's me. Sorry, I haven't gotten used to answering business calls yet," I answered.  
  
"You don't sound experienced enough to handle my problem, but I really have no choice. Everyone else I hired for this simply quit. Please come to 1442 Riverbed Drive if you're interested."  
  
Then the mysterious caller hung up. I couldn't believe it. A real job! But..the stranger hadn't even given me his name or what the job was. I know its not a good idea to go to a complete strangers house, however, this was my first job offer and I couldn't just chicken out. Riverbed Drive was located in the richer section of Neopia Central. They were the houses of people who owned giant size 900+ shops that were always teeming with customers. People who knew how to gamble and almost always win. People who were total experts at the stock markets ways. Grabbing my detective hat and coat, I ran outside the house, hopped on my bike, and headed to 1442 Riverbed Drive. When I got there, I hopped off and took a good look at the property. You couldn't even call this place a house, as it was practically a castle. It was at least four stories tall and was apparently built of stone. There were towers and arches all over. And the yard, you ask? It simply sprawled for acres. The front double doors had a brass knocker, and a pull chain to the side for a bell that shorter pets could ring if they weren't tall enough. Now that's fancy. Anyway, I knocked on the door and stepped back. A striking middle-aged eyrie in aristocratic clothing answered not long after. His brilliant yellow plumage was dulled at the ends, and his gentle green eyes sparkled in the evening light. He was quite a taller than I was, although I suppose it was because krawks are shorter than eyries. Then again, I myself was at least two feet taller than most normal krawks.  
  
I took off my hat and greeted him. "Hello, my name is Tokyo_Demon and I got a call about a job here."  
  
He nodded, "Of course, come right in and I'll show you."  
  
He turned and went into the mansion, and I followed.  
  
As he led me through the main entrance hall he spoke, "My name is James Taerkwinn the third, also known as Lord Kwinn. I am 58 years old and my family has lived in this manor for generations upon generations. Over the years, my family has acquired a great fortune, and we have many, many priceless artifacts from all over the world. Many of these relics are not only ancient, but they also carry great power. Mister Tokyo, I have called you here today because a troublesome number of these artifacts have been stolen from me. The six Maraquan Orbs, which were recovered near Maraqua, possess a mysterious power that glows from within. Surely you can guess that when they fall into the wrong hands, that the world will be in terrible danger? Well, not totally immediate danger, but they can certainly wipe out entire areas in one go.."  
  
"And you want me to find these Orbs of yours?" I interrupted him.  
  
He nodded, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. The problem is, they've been missing for a while now, and I have no idea where they are. All of the other investigators I hired for this mysteriously decided to quit, and the news hasn't been reporting any strange occurrences, so whoever has the Orbs hasn't used them."  
  
"Well, I'm not sure what to say. Maybe a common criminal stole them and has no idea what to do with them," I said quizzically, "Anyway, why don't you show me the room they were stolen from?" And indeed he did.  
  
The artifact room had the same kind of layout a museum does. Rows and rows of items lay in shining glass cases as security cameras swiveled back and forth over them. I knew there were probably motion detectors as well. Lord Kwinn led me to the center of the room where a large pedestal sat. The glass on top of it had large circular holes cut into it, and shattered glass lay all around. A sharp-bladed aisha sword was left on the ground not too far away.  
  
"The biggest problem is," Lord Kwinn started, "That I can't figure out how they got in or out without the security cameras and the motion and noise detectors picking up at least something."  
  
I picked up the aisha sword and examined it. Oddly enough, black fur was sticking to the handle via static cling. Well, that certainly narrowed down the suspects.. 


	2. It only gets more complicated

Demon Detective: The Stolen Orbs  
  
By: dead_phoenix  
  
Part Two  
  
It had appeared that this criminal had not done a very good job cleaning up after itself. "What do you think?" asked Lord Kwinn. Thoughts bubbled through my mind. There have been many reports of shadow aishas breaking in and stealing things. However, there was only one aisha I knew, whose name was Zifear. He used to live in my house, with Dead and I and all the other pets. But one day he went through a massive identity crisis and ran away. He never did like to clean though, and I was almost completely sure it was him who had stolen the orbs.  
  
"I know of an aisha by the name of Zifear. The way the orbs were stolen seems to fit him. You know, messy and evidence everywhere," I said slowly.  
  
"So you think it could be him that has them?" asked Kwinn again.  
  
"Yea, I think it was him. I can't think of anyone else who could've done it. But..I can't explain how he got in and out of here without being detected by your security systems," I said to him.  
  
It seemed I had this case pretty much solved. I put my hat back on, turned to him, and said, "I'll go look for him right now. I'll get those orbs back or my name isn't Tokyo_Demon, which it is."  
  
As I made my way out of the house, Kwinn called after me, "Thank you young detective! Good luck."  
  
My bike was still waiting outside. I jumped on it, waved farewell to Kwinn, and rode off into the heart of Neopia Central. Neopia Central is one of those cities that grow outward, with literal rings of different aged developments. The oldest areas are the interior rings. No one really lives there anymore. All that's left are factories, warehouses, and the occasional small store whose owner refuses to relocate somewhere better. It's also where a lot of the evildoers hang out. Scammers, cheaters, hackers, you can find them all here somewhere. Pets classified as wicked and untrustworthy hang out in small gangs. Then you have what I guess you would call a neopet 'crime lord'. Those are the pets that are truly hate worthy and are bent on taking over the world any way they possibly can. They love to use the old warehouses as their hideouts, and they usually have quite a few followers. From what I read about the aisha crimes, Zifear seemed to be a horrible thief. I wondered if I could trust him anymore. As I pedaled through the streets, I had no idea where to start looking for him. I had to find him soon though. If the sun set before I found him, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I hopped off my bike and walked it beside me. As I walked, I poked my head down a few alleys, but I didn't see anyone. There was broken glass on the ground from the old stores whose windows had been broken when someone had decided to go a' looting. A strong breeze had picked up, and my hat was blown off and down a dark alley. That just so happened to be my favorite hat, so I dropped my bike and gave chase. My hat rode the wind, went tumbling in the dirt and then settled next to a small cardboard box. I reached down to pick it up when suddenly a small black paw from within the box reached out and grabbed it before I could.  
  
"Is this your hat, shiny white pet? What's such a spoiled thing like you doing so far away from home?" inquired a familiar voice.  
  
"Zifear? Is that you?" I asked, pulling my hat up.  
  
A tiny black aisha clung to it as he dangled a good 4 feet off the ground. "Yes! Yes! Now put me down!" he cried.  
  
I set him back down and pulled the hat away. To him it must have seemed like I lifted him up higher than I really did. He was barely a foot and a half tall, while I was nearly 5'6". He sighed aggravatedly as I dusted off the hat and put it back on.  
  
"Why'd you ever leave home?" I asked him.  
  
"I don't remember what's real anymore, this or my dreams of being a human. I just need to get away from everyone and figure this out on my own," he replied while grooming himself.  
  
"Oh. I see. Well Zifear, I need to ask you something else..something more important, and please be honest with me. Did you steal a bunch of orbs from an eyrie named James Taerkwinn?"  
  
He stopped for a moment and stared at me, then more grooming. "As a matter of fact, no. You know I don't like to steal, Tokyo," he answered.  
  
"But whoever stole them used an aisha sword and had black fur!" I exclaimed.  
  
He glared at he and spoke sternly, "Just because that's your only evidence does not mean it was me. I thought you were smart enough to figure out that there are hundreds, probably thousands of shadow aishas in Neopia, and just because I'm the only one you know doesn't mean that I stole them. I thought you were a psychic Tokyo, can't you tell I'm innocent!?"  
  
He was mad. He'd never yelled at me before. "I'm sorry. I can't read minds, you know. I just thought that-"  
  
"Thought what? Thought that all the burglaries committed by shadow aishas were by me?? You make me sick, you mindless lizard!" Now I felt bad. I knew he was right though. I hadn't really been thinking about who could've done what. I'm just a newbie at this job. I'd been wrong to assume it was him stealing things.  
  
"Look, Zifear. I'm sorry. I really am. You're right you know. I apologize. Can you ever forgive me?" I asked.  
  
He had his back turned to me. "Hmmph. Maybe," he answered, "It might take me awhile to forgive that from you."  
  
"Alright. Hey listen, I know its rude of me to ask, and I don't know if you'll help or not, but do you have any idea as to who did steal the orbs?" I sighed to him.  
  
He twitched one of his many ears before answering, "Perhaps I do.." 


	3. Coffee cups and attack jubjubs

Demon Detective: The Stolen Orbs  
  
By: dead_phoenix  
  
Part three  
  
"There is a new draik in town named Avenonyx. I've seen him once or twice. He's a huge greenish thing. Anyway, I've heard that he's been recruiting pets; especially shadow aishas, to be his minions. He asked me once if I wanted to join him in world conquest, but I declined his offer, for now anyway. I know he's got an eye for all things rare and expensive," Zifear explained.  
  
"So.. you're saying that you think it was probably him?" I asked while glancing at the sky.  
  
The sun was starting to set and the heavens looked like they were on fire. It was beautiful. "Well, yeah. Aren't you supposed to be a detective now?"  
  
"I am. This is my first job though," I responded.  
  
"Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo. You can't just one day decide to be a detective and do jobs like this. That's a job you usually have to be trained for," He groaned, "I suppose you're going to ask me to take you to Avenonyx?"  
  
I felt my face go a bit red in embarrassment. "Yes please."  
  
"Fine then. Let me sit on your shoulder and I'll give you directions to him, okay?" he said.  
  
I gently picked him up and set him on my shoulder. He sat upright, digging his claws into my coat to stabilize him. He cleared his throat.  
  
"Okay, these are the directions he gave he in case I decided to join him. Go down this alley and go right, left, and right again until you're on the big street again. Walk six blocks down, and take a left. Go down the third alley on your right until you reach the brick wall dead end. Climb the nearby fire ladder up to the second story and then go in the window there. This is a disused office building that was abandoned years ago. Go through the employee lounge and out to the balcony. Then walk along the side catwalk until you find a long, two foot wide piece of plywood that connects to the building behind it," he dictated as I went through and did everything.  
  
As I was shakily crossing the wooden board, he said smartly, "Of course, it'd much easier to fly, but then again..you don't have wings."  
  
I would've said something, but I'm not terribly fond of height, so I crossed without a word. The board led us through a window into a landing of an old factory. Old neopets posters were plastered everywhere.  
  
"Now what? Are we there yet?" I asked, rather annoyed. It was near dark outside now.  
  
"Yea, we're here," Zifear replied while loosening his collar.  
  
The aishas that lived out in the city like this usually got rid of their collars, but since he was still attached to his home and family, he had only gotten rid of the giant "A" that hung from it.  
  
"Well..where is this 'Avenonyx' of yours?" I inquired.  
  
"I don't know. He's either downstairs preaching to his followers about plans for world domination, or in the office that overlooks the machines. I'd try the office first though, if I were you," He responded.  
  
I nodded, and then set off down the hall looking for the office, my long tail swishing back and forth excitedly. It didn't take too long to find it, as the door was labeled 'Nyx's Office of Doom. Do Not Enter Without Coffee.'  
  
"Err..what should I do?" I asked Zifear, "Can we go in without bringing coffee?"  
  
He just nodded. I knocked quickly on the door, opened it, and then went right it. The office had a plush red carpet, a beautiful mahogany desk, and the nicest leather office chair I'd ever seen. The room was lit buy one dull light bulb hanging from the ceiling. As we entered, the chair swiveled slightly and who I presumed to be Avenonyx faced us. He was indeed a green draik, but like none I've ever seen. His 'ear' webbings hung in tatters like he had been in many battles. Patches of dry hard, yellow scales were on the top of his muzzle, on his forearms, and his legs. His tail hung over the armrests and off to the side as he sipped from what must be the world's largest "Java the Hut" cup. His wings were folded neatly on his back.  
  
"Welcome," he said with a surprisingly young and spirited voice, "I don't believe we have met?"  
  
I said, a bit too confident, "My name is Tokyo_Demon. I'm a private detective and I've come here to question you about the stolen Maraquan Orbs."  
  
Zifear smacked the back of my head with his tail. "Watch your mouth," he whispered to me.  
  
"I see," said Nyx with a Cheshire grin, "You have come for the orbs. But how do you know if I still have them or not?"  
  
"Well, Uh," I responded, "You act like you still have them."  
  
He laughed, but I wasn't sure what was so funny, "My, my. Are you sure you're a real detective? You act just like a kid. All the others that visited me before were a lot more experienced, but that doesn't matter anymore. I got them to quit the job and become my glorious minions. Hm..perhaps you would be interested in joining as well?"  
  
I stared at him, "So you did steal them then. I think you're lying about the others joining you. I bet you threatened to hurt them unless they joined."  
  
As I spoke, I noticed a four-foot tall fuzzy blue jubjub sitting next to the desk, wearing a spike collar. I shivered; jubjubs have been a fear of mine ever since I was a krawkling. Jubjubs were to me like the bogeymen to others. Besides, have you ever seen their teeth? I'd rather be bitten by a lupe than jubjub.  
  
Nyx grinned again, "Oh you got it all wrong, I didn't hurt them or anything like that," he then grumbled something about not liking pain anyway, "I just showed them how powerful I was and then they just..joined. If you go take a look in that closet there," he gestured towards a door behind him, "You'll see what I mean." 


	4. Is this the end? gasp

Demon Detective: The Stolen Orbs  
  
By: dead_phoenix  
  
Part four  
  
I looked at Zifear to see what I should do. He shrugged and said nothing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought that I should open that door, but my curiosity got the best of me. Nyx and the jubjub followed me with their eyes as I crossed the room to the door. I put my paw on the handle, turned very slowly, and opened it. What was inside can't be described as anything else but shocking. Inside was a walk-in closet large enough to be a room. To my amazement, Dr. Sloth was bound and gagged in the far left corner, while Adam sat in the far right one eating asparagus after asparagus at Sloth. The look on Sloth's face was pure horror. It must have been torture. A sudden cold breeze whispered past my face for a split second. I backed away in terror and shut the door.  
  
"But..how?" I asked Nyx at a loss for words.  
  
"Sloth was easy. I challenged him to a round of 'Who can stay tied up the longest' and he obviously won it," he snorted in amusement, "Adam however.. that was harder. I told him that there was a life supply of vegetables in my closet, and he was a bit skeptical at first until I showed him the asparagus dispenser."  
  
He laughed manically. Well, I had to admit he was a pretty good bad guy. I would have never thought of an asparagus dispenser. Then I thought of a plan. It wasn't even a full plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.  
  
"All right, you win, Mr. Avenonyx. You win. I will join you on your quest to conquer the world. But first, I have to ask you a question," I said innocently to him.  
  
"Oh really? What might it be?" he asked.  
  
"Well.I was wondering, since you are obviously the most cunning draik I've ever seen, how did you steal the orbs without getting caught?" I replied.  
  
He smiled again, and man was that getting annoying. "As you might have guessed, I enlisted the help of a shadow pet. However, it wasn't an aisha like you thought it was. I got Shadow Usul to help me. She has the ability to blend in with shadows, as I'm sure you know, so she never got detected while stealing them," he said proudly.  
  
I was confused. "But how can an usul use an aisha sword? I thought that it being an aisha item, only aishas could use them."  
  
"Very good, you're quite smart. However, the reason is that since it's a battle item, only aishas can use it properly in battle. Other species can use it outside of battle for non-fighting purposes though," he explained proudly. He demonstrated by picking up an unopened letter and using a nearby chomby sword as an opener. "See? Easy."  
  
That was very clever of him. That would've thrown anyone off. So the black fur belonged to Shadow Usul, but I did have one more question. "Okay, I know that Shadow Usul works alone, so how'd you get her to help you? Did you promise her something?"  
  
He nodded, "I did, young krawk. I promised her the Mirror of Light, an artifact dug up from a tomb in the Lost Desert. However," He said slyly, "When she came to claim it I shined the light on her, and she completely disappeared."  
  
I was speechless. He double-crossed her! He laughed quietly to himself as he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an ornate box for everyone to see. I stood there silently as he gently opened it, revealing the six Maraquan Orbs. They looked to be made of fine polished crystal, and a strange light glowed from within each of them.  
  
"Oh..they are gorgeous," Nyx mumbled to himself, "Too bad Shadow Usul was shown her way out already."  
  
He cackled loudly at his little joke. I didn't think it was funny, and the way Zifear moved on my shoulder meant he didn't think it was either. The door I had entered in suddenly blew open with tremendous force and the single light suddenly broke. It was nearly pitch black, and the air turned to ice. The collared jubjub whimpered in fright.  
  
"You fool," cried a mysterious voice, "Light may destroy the shadows, but the gloom around you always becomes darker."  
  
There was a slam and crack, and I strained my eyes to see but it didn't help. There was a flash of red, and a hole burst from the ceiling, moonlight flooding in. Avenonyx lie unconscious on the floor, the jubjub hiding in a corner. The box of orbs was gone. As I looked to the ceiling, I could have swore I saw a strangely dark streak of movement disappear into the night. I looked to Zifear and choked back laughter; his fur was standing on end.  
  
"Was that Shadow Usul?" I asked.  
  
"I think so," he nodded, "Guess she wanted revenge."  
  
"What now? Avenonyx is out cold, and the orbs are gone, maybe for good." I said.  
  
"Well, first we should let Dr. Sloth go, as much as we don't like him. I know Neopia would be better off without him but no one should be forced to watch Adam eat asparagus for hours without end. And then after that? I don't know. We should just take a quick look around, and then leave. Shouldn't you get back to that Taerkwinn guy's place?" he said.  
  
"Yeah, that's a good idea," I agreed.  
  
We went back into the closet, Zifear released Sloth while I looked quizzically at Adam, and then decided to just leave him where he was. Sloth grumbled a "Thanks" and then ran off into the night, taking the jubjub with him. Afterwards, we searched through Nyx's office for anything to take back with us, although it was hard to see in the moonlight, and he hoped that he wouldn't wake up until after we were gone. As I searched through a file cabinet,  
  
Zifear cried, "Look at this!".  
  
I walked over to where he was near the desk. After a moment or two of struggling, he had pulled out a large, finely crafted mirror from underneath it. I picked it up easily and took a look at it. The surface gleamed, even in the darkness.  
  
"I think it's that Mirror of Light, Tokyo," the small aisha said, "Why don't you bring that back to the eyrie?"  
  
"But...you're the one who found it, why don't you keep it?" I asked.  
  
"What!? Why don't I keep it?! Tokyo, compare me with that mirror. I'm tiny, that's huge! I can't haul that around!!" he shrieked.  
  
"Oops. sorry.. Guess I wasn't thinking again," I said sheepishly.  
  
I heard him grumble something, but I couldn't tell what it was. Finally, it was time to head back to Lord Kwinn's manor. Zifear got back on my shoulder, and we left the factory the way we came in. My aisha pal stated that we wanted to stay in the city for a while longer, so I brought him back to the alley where I found him and said farewell. When I left the alley I found out that thankfully no one had stolen my bike. I hopped on and rode all the way back to Kwinn's house. When I knocked on the door, he answered almost immediately and told me how worried he was that something happened to me. I explained everything that happened, ending with how Shadow Usul took the orbs and that they were probably gone for good now, but I had a mirror he could have as compensation.  
  
"No Tokyo, thanks for the offer, but you can keep it. You deserve that for your tremendous efforts. Thank you so much for helping," he said.  
  
He paid me a pretty good sum of neopoints before sending me off to home. He exchanged our goodbyes, and I rode home using moonlight to light the path. I used my telekinetic abilities to keep the mirror floating beside me all the way back. The minute I got home, I went to my room, flopped on my bed, and fell asleep, a good job well done. 


End file.
